I spent $80 on my Vega full face, it's as comfortable as most of the Shoei's I tried on. I think a lot of price is just for brand recognition, like in most areas of retail competition.

I don't know much about Shoeis, but I know companies like Arai are small companies where something like 15 people here are making all the helmets, and they're the same exact helmets the racers are wearing. I would assume with some other cheaper helmets you're getting something that was just made in china.

Either way I think I've had my fill of nice helmets. I'll just stick to some average ones for now. Even when I find a dirtbike helmet I'm just gonna wait till I find something on sale and get the cheapest thing I can find.

I will say though, that after wearing my HJC for a while, which is comfortable enough, sliding the Arai on my head feels like I'm crawling into a warm bed with a soft pillow. It's amazing how comfortable that helmet is. Really though once you get it on and strapped down who really notices, it's not supposed to be able to move on your head anyway.

I think the comfort is worth it. I want something that is well ventilated, quiet, comfortable and still keeps the air off your face. A good helmet has no real price and is always worth  the money IMO.

Quote from: ver4 on August 04, 2010, 10:29:39 AM

This is the picture I was hunting for. I would have to agree with another user... the helmet may have changed over time but where the damage happens hasn't. I would be tempted to think that face impacts have increased as more sport bike riders are out there now. (just my though)

If memory serves me correct, that diagram was published in the Hurt Report.  

The guy that wrote it (Darryl Hurt or something like that) was invited to speak for the members of a few law enforcement agencies around the country.  Bunch of bike-riding LEO's are tired of mandatory open-face helmets, forced on them by their respective agencies.  And that's day-after-day-after-day riding, writing tickets, speaking to people face to face, where they actually NEED them.  

I think that speaks for itself.  

Call me a Gear Nazi or whatever, I don't care.  If you only want a one-sided opinion, don't start a thread about it on the internet.  Go ask some bad@ss that hasn't had his face ground off by gravel aggregate.  
It comes down to chance and statistics.  
Some people think they fall outside the bell curve for whatever reason.  No logic in the world can convince them otherwise, especially not my opinion or anyone else's.  

What's absolutely hilarious though, in my Gear Nazi opinion:  thinking that riding for 20+ years makes you less susceptible to an accident.  
Again, logic is just not sexy and tough and cool.  But, it's called the law of averages for a reason.  

You may be throwing loaded dice, but you're not playing on a flat table.
There are cagers that WANT to hit you.  And the court system LETS them.  
Your eyes are in the front for a reason - you're a predator.  Predators LIKE soft targets.
If you want a new car and lots of attention, are you gonna aim for a tree or a soft squishy thing that gives you the finger? 
The road is a battlefield.  If you're dumb enough to walk around it in your underwear, don't be surprised when loose women are the only ones that look. 

Various 3/4 face helmets here but never used one cos they're too noisy for me. Me dad's worn one for 50 years with no accident, that scuppers the 'law of averages' old wives' tale then.

if youre lucky enough never to get hit, kudos to you.

i know a guy that's gotten hit 3 or 4 times and he still rides. averages does work out. all because one person never got hit doesnt mean someone else didnt take a fall for them.

like was said before though. you wear what you want because if and when sht hits the fan, youre the one sitting in the breeze.


on another note. let's all chill for a bit. haha =P

yup, that image is correct.  when I had my low-side, the gravel met the FRONT of my helmet, not the top nor the back.  Maybe when I get home, i'll upload my picture of the helmet.  I'm keeping it as a trophy on the wall to NEVER have to experience that again.

I was gonna keep mine, but if I wanted money from the insurance company for it, I had to hand it over. I do still have my jacket though. My visor was scratched up though, which would've been my eyeballs without a helmet.

You might want to look at the Bell Mag 8. All the reviews claim its quiet and takes the air off. I've read it lacks in the ventilation a little though. I thought about picking one up before my road trip but was pretty positive I would just wear my half helmet with the mini shield.
I used to wear a full face to work but got caught in a traffic jam for over an hour in the august heat 2 years ago. Almost passed out and now only wear a full face when its cold out.

I ride in the heat here in Florida everyday. As long as you drink plenty of water you should be okay. My problems from the heat come from the jackets at red lights. But, it remedies itself quickly once I start moving because the sweat when met with the wind cools me right back down. Once in a while if traffic comes to a standstill on I-4 I make it to an overpass take off the helmet drink water that I have stored in my tank pack and let the traffic ease up. Or I will take the next exit and take the side roads.

I'm a firm believer that if it is too hot for me to wear my gear then it is too hot for me to ride. Hotest I've ridden in is 102 with 98% humidity what a miserable day. Riding down I-4 felt like a heater in a car. AWFUL!

Mary

Quote from: Toogoofy317 on August 13, 2010, 09:14:22 PM
Or I will take the next exit and take the side roads.

I'm a firm believer that if it is too hot for me to wear my gear then it is too hot for me to ride. Hotest I've ridden in is 102 with 98% humidity what a miserable day. Riding down I-4 felt like a heater in a car. AWFUL!

Mary

+1 on the side roads.

Hottest I've ridden in was 113. I drank Heaps of water. At one stop I emptied some water onto my undershirt (the shirt I was wearing under my jacket) until I was soaked. When I rode off it was quite cooling. Totally dry though within 15 minutes.

Funny thing with bikes. Riding through the air is generally Cooling. But at a certain temperature, it stops being cooling and starts being heating. The faster you go the hotter you feel as you ride through ever more hot air. The effect is like sitting in front of a heater on a warm day. I think the temp this kicks in is somewhere around 95.

As riders we lose a Lot of water through evaporation through our skin. We Need to drink plenty.

Michael

+1 on wetting the undershirt. My hottest was 105. At that temperature, the key was to wet the undershirt, and close most of the vents on the jacket. You want just enough airflow to slowly evaporate the water - if you leave everything open, you'll be cool for about 15 minutes, and then you'll dry out and start to heat up. Using this method, I could ride for about an hour before I had to re-wet myself.

alright, so here are some photos of my helmet that i said i was gonna post. yeah, my face wouldve been gone if i was wearing anything other than a full face. PS: I HATE GRAVELLLLLLL

At least the helmet did what it was designed to do!

In other news my friend who had an accident on May 1st finally came out of his coma last week   If he hadn't had a full-face on he would not be here!

Mary

Quote from: Suzuki Stevo on August 03, 2010, 03:28:30 PMMe...I wear 1/2 helmets almost exclusively, statistically the majority of motorcycle accidents are rider induced, so you do control your own destiny....

Not in those instances where it's the other drivers fault....

Quotepersonally I haven't crashed in 33 years.

I hadn't crashed in 29 years until an impatient cager turned left and clipped me. Up and over I went, still have the full face helmet with all the scratches as a memento.

QuoteSo don't crash,

Incredibly stupid statement.

Quotewatch out for the other guy and don't worry about what other people wear. 

You can watch out all you want but you can't account for all stupid actions by others. Wear/don't wear what you want. I have a wife and kids I love and want to come home to. I know I take chances just getting on a bike, especially here in south Florida. So I do everything I can to lesson the chance of injury when it happens.

so yes twims86, lol there are no reviews from us about any 3/4 helmets as none of us promote using it, as we've shared many of the experiences that can happen to people and what a major benefits the full face helmets do. If you really persist on it, go to a motorcycle shop and see which one is most comfortable to your head and is approved by DOT/Snell (i doubt snell does 1/2 helmets but maybe they do, I have no idea), that's all I can recommend.  

Edit: Asym caught one of my errors....

Quote from: thecdn on August 16, 2010, 10:55:15 AMYou can watch out all you want but you can't account for all stupid actions by others. Wear/don't wear what you want. I have a wife and kids I love and want to come home to. I know I take chances just getting on a bike, especially here in south Florida. So I do everything I can to lesson the chance of injury when it happens.

I can only speak from personal experience, but in my 42 years of riding M/C's 100% of my accidents where cause by myself to myself. I do all I can to control my own destiny and so far I have been the master of it. Yes any assclown can turn left in front of me and take me out, but so far watching out for the other guy has worked for me. Ride your own ride   

Quote from: Suzuki Stevo on August 16, 2010, 04:08:22 PM

I can only speak from personal experience, but in my 42 years of riding M/C's 100% of my accidents where cause by myself to myself. I do all I can to control my own destiny and so far I have been the master of it. Yes any assclown can turn left in front of me and take me out, but so far watching out for the other guy has worked for me. Ride your own ride   

Stevo has nailed it, there is only one person responsible for your safety when you ride and that's yourself.

Quote from: bubba zanetti on August 16, 2010, 07:10:43 PM

Quote from: Suzuki Stevo on August 16, 2010, 04:08:22 PM

I can only speak from personal experience, but in my 42 years of riding M/C's 100% of my accidents where cause by myself to myself. I do all I can to control my own destiny and so far I have been the master of it. Yes any assclown can turn left in front of me and take me out, but so far watching out for the other guy has worked for me. Ride your own ride   

Stevo has nailed it, there is only one person responsible for your safety when you ride and that's yourself.

Really? So I was responsible when I was riding on a straight level road through a green light when the woman pulled out too soon and clipped me? That's funny, that's not how the witnesses saw it, or the police. I take all available precautions and am very aware of my surroundings and other drivers but I can't anticipate every action of others.

Apparently you guys are clairvoyant and know the thoughts of all drivers around you. I wish I had that power. Instead, I wear  proper gear so I will be less affected if someone else screws up. I also don't claim to be perfect and be such a great motorcyclist that I will never have a lapse and have an accident of my own fault. I am awed to be in the presence of such greatness.